The Consumer Direct helpline - which offers immediate advice and forwards serious cases on to trading standards officers - will be overseen by Citizens Advice rather than the OFT

High-profile consumer right challenges will devolve to local trading standards officers from the OFT

Granting of licences to offer credit to consumers will go to the new Consumer Protection and Markets Authority

Consumer Focus - the government's official consumer watchdog is expected to be scrapped

Both Consumer Focus and Consumer Direct were set up by the previous Labour administration but, as revealed by BBC Radio 4's Moneybox on Saturday, they will no longer continue in their current form.

Trading standards officers campaigned for the Consumer Direct helpline to ease the pressure on dealing with frontline complaints from consumers to concentrate on investigating and prosecuting rogue traders.

'Active champion'

The latest figures from Consumer Direct showed that consumers complained the most about second-hand car repairs from independent traders, followed by mobile phones and televisions.

Both these groups have high public awareness and trust levelsVince Cable, Business Secretary

"Citizens Advice is already an active champion for consumers, helping them get a better deal and making it simpler and easier for them to get the information and advice they need," she said.

"We also use their experiences for effective policy advocacy, securing benefits for all consumers."

Mike O'Connor, chief executive of Consumer Focus, said: "The issue now is not who does the work but that the work is done well, at a time when consumers are facing difficult economic circumstances, especially those who are vulnerable."